Amy Adams Knew She Was Getting Paid Less Than 'American Hustle' Male Costars, Reveals David O. Russell Made Her Cry

by John Boone
1:05 PM PST, February 29, 2016

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Amy Adams is willing to take a pay cut if the role is right.

The Batman v Superman actress is on the cover of British GQ and admits she knew she was being paid less than her male co-stars inAmerican Hustle, which became public knowledge when each star's pay was revealed during the Sony hack in 2014.

"Yeah, I did," she told the magazine. "I didn't speak about it before and I'm probably not going to speak about it forever, because I disagreed with...not Jennifer [Lawrence] per se, but people who had opinions on how women should go about negotiating."

The 41-year-old actress, who earned an Oscar nomination for the part, claimed, "I knew I was being paid less and I still agreed to do it because the option comes down to do it or don't do it. So, you just have to decide if it's worth it for you. It doesn't mean I liked it."

Lawrence broke her silence about the wage gap in an essay for Lena Dunham's Lenny newsletter, asking why stars like Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale made more than her.

"I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled,'" the 25-year-old Oscar winner wrote. "At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled.'"

Adams still says she's "proud" of Lawrence for taking a stance. "What I liked is that it was not necessarily about getting paid, or not getting paid," she said. "It's like we [women] have been conditioned to not be controversial, to not cause problems. It's about finding your voice."

In the same interview, Adams opens up about working with American Hustle director David O. Russell, whose behavior on movie sets has become notorious. The actress says that Russell even made her cry.

"I was really just devastated on set. I mean, not every day, but most," she recalled. "Jennifer doesn't take any of it on. She's Teflon. And I am not Teflon. But I also don't like to see other people treated badly. It's not ok with me."

Adams said she learned a valuable lesson while making the film. "Life to me is more important than movies," she explained. "It really taught me how to separate work and home. Because I was like, I cannot bring this experience home with me to my daughter."

Now, check out Lawrence's fashionably late arrival to Sunday's Academy Awards, where she stunned in a sheer black Dior gown.